Acro Posted July 22, 2021 Report Share Posted July 22, 2021 Check out the 2 links about mealworms composting styrofoam! Scientific study from Stanford University: https://news.stanford.edu/pr/2015/pr-worms-digest-plastics-092915.html https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-12/su-msc121819.php I've been raising mealworms on styrofoam for about 2 months now. I've raised mealworms to adult beetles on styrofoam alone, just adding some water now and then. The beetles may be feeding on styrofoam as well, however I supplement the mealbeetles with beetle jelly sometimes. Are you composting styrofoam with mealworms too? Post up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratmosphere Posted July 22, 2021 Report Share Posted July 22, 2021 No, I am not but that’s definitely and interesting read! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BensBeasts1 Posted July 23, 2021 Report Share Posted July 23, 2021 I used to compost styrofoam but I realized it was negatively affecting my colony somehow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKim Posted July 23, 2021 Report Share Posted July 23, 2021 I read an article, and the paper too when it popped up several years ago! It was quite an interesting finds!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acro Posted July 24, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2021 On 7/23/2021 at 11:13 AM, BensBeasts1 said: I used to compost styrofoam but I realized it was negatively affecting my colony somehow. Will you tell more about your experiences? What happened with the colony? Almost all of the mealworms (I started out with) are becoming beetles. Hopefully they are laying eggs. I have to start looking for tiny larvae, some may be in the styrofoam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynastes TItyus hunter Posted July 24, 2021 Report Share Posted July 24, 2021 Those tiny larvae are very hard to see. They are very small so I recommend leaving out for a while and don't bother it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acro Posted September 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 *UPDATE* I'm on my 2nd generation of mealworms, that have been raised on mostly pure styrofoam, I say "mostly" because I would give small portions of other food every month or so, mainly for the meal beetles that started emerging. I did find that meal beetles will eat some styrofoam, but they don't survive well on it alone and I don't believe that they break it down or compost it, like the mealworms do. This next time around, I will remove pupa and meal beetles into another container. I plan to feed the meal beetles normal fare (fish food, fruits, and I will attempt at seeing if they will compost leftovers from foods that I eat) while feeding the mealworms only on styrofoam. I added about 100 more mealworms to the group (yesterday) to try and get 2 generations going at the same time. Last of all, these links were sent to me, and I will now share them with you. They are about SuperWorms composting styrofoam!https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/beetle-larvae-can-survive-on-polystyrene-alone-67251https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969719352258 If you are using mealworms or superworms to compost styrofoam, post up your experience! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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